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TESTIMONY. High profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian appears before the House committee on justice as resumes its probe on October 10, 2016 into the proliferation of drugs in the New Bilibid Prison. Photo by LeAnne Jazul/Rappler

(Drugs proliferated when there came a competition between Chinese communities – between Peter Co and Ben Marcelo. They pulled prices down, offered quality better than the other. That's how the competition went.)

Like Sebastian, Co and Marcelo belong to the group “Bilibid 19” – a group of high-profile inmates who have been moved to the National Bureau of Investigation compound after a raid on the national penitentiary exposed the high life enjoyed by maximum security inmates.

Sebastian said during an interpellation by Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano that the Chinese drug lords are headed the drug matrix inside the NBP.

“It starts with a Chinese drug lord, who is secured by one gang – sometimes, there are 3 to 10 Chinese inmates in one gang. Then there are gangs which do not have even a single Chinese inmate, so they cross to other gangs,” he told House members in Filipino.

He said that he only serve as a broker, who marks up the price of drugs up to P100,000 to P200,000 per kilo.

Structure of drug trade based on statements by inmate Jaybee Sebastian and Police Deputy Director for Operations Benjamin Magalong

PNP Deputy Chief for Operations Benjamin Magalong, who was Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief during the 2014 Bilibid raid, detailed how drugs are delivered outside the NBP.

“High-profile inmates manage [drug orders]. If there’s an order, they will tap their external contacts – runners, most of the time to deliver drugs,” he said in Filipino.

“The drugs will be placed inside a car, which will be parked in an area for 3 to 4 hours, sometimes overnight to avoid the authorities. The [runners] will tell them where they hid the keys and the vehicle will be brought for delivery,” he added.

Asked of the personalities behind this transactions, Magalong said high-profile inmates are linked to Chinese and Filipino drug dealers.

Sebastian, meanwhile, said that drugs are also sourced from North Korea. – Rappler.com

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Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves).